INDEX
[ EPPLER NAME ]
[ EARLY EPPLERS ]
[ GEORGE DANIEL EPPLER ]
[ ELVIN ]
[ POLLY ]
[ HENRY W.]
[ JOHN EPPLER ]
[ MARGARET MULLER ]
[ JONATHAN AND ELSIE (THOMAS)]
[ GEN. GEORGE HENRY ]
Written by Bruno Maria Kaufman Freiberg-Ebnet im Breisgau Letter written to Marcel Pierron in Sarreguemines, France And translated into English by Yvette Tichon Eppler My Dear Friend, For the name Eppler, I ran for the university of the Germanique Institute of Freiburg. The professors have written alot on this name: Eppler. A digest, in the country of Schawb, Alemanisen, Lorranis there about 10,000 families who's names are: Apple, Epple, Eppler, Appler or similar. Because in the southern sector of Germany the word "Eppler" is the oldest one known. One can find it in the oldest manuscripts of the Cloisters of Saint Gallen and Trubert in the time of the Caroligians (about 800 years after Christ). In its origin "Eppler", was a peasant who in the front of his house in his garden had an Apple Tree which is called Applebaum (Apple tree). To this day in the region of the Black Forest when one talk of a peasant or a Eppler, every time in front of his farm he has an apple tree. There are alot of books written on "Eppler" it is a subject highly appreciated for Doctorate work. But a history on the Eppler Family, I do not know of any. I will write today to the representative of the Parti SPD, who's name is Erhard Eppler, he use to be Minister in Bonn now retired. And if this retired Minister is willing to answer me, I'll send you his letter. This is all I have on the Eppler for now. Translated in Mason, Tx, Jan. 14, 1984.
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Six known and recorded Epplers arrived in America between 1737 and 1752. All are said to have embarked at Rotterdam, and to have landed at Philadelphia. None was shown to have been accompanied by wife or children. The 6 were 1. Hans Eppler (or Ebbler) on ship Samuel, Aug. 30, 1737. (Hans is a contraction of Johann, or John.) 2. Johann George Eppler, age 25, on ship Loyal Judith, 1740. m. Mary Julianna, i. son, John b. 1745. 3. George Daniel and 4. Jerg Adam Eppler, Brothers or cousins, on ship Restauration, 1747. 5. Bartolomaeus Eppler, on ship Osgood, Sept. 29, 1750. 6. Andreas Eppler, on ship Anderson, Sept. 27, 1752.
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Elvin Eppler was the 7th child of Henry Walter Eppler and Mary Ella Morris (maiden name).
He married Mamie Lou (Polly) Baker (maiden name) in Brady, Tx.
At that time, he was working as a barber. He and his boss picked Polly up at her home in
Cleo, Tx. She had made a big coconut cake for their wedding cake. Elvin’s father gave them a
box of groceries when they had gone by his parent's house in Streeter, to pick up Elvin’s
sister Viva (to be a witness). Elvin didn’t even have a wedding license, nor his physical.
They then traveled to Mason, but it was a Sunday afternoon so there wasn’t anyone in the
clerk’s office. He had gone fishing. They then drove to Brady because Viva knew the county
clerk there.
One delay after another! When they finally met up with the Methodist Preacher it was very
late and he was in bed.
“He came down about half dressed and married us. We started out at about Midnight then. We
never knew whether our anniversary was the 8th or 9th of August. We picked the 8th, because
that’s when we started out,” Polly told her daughter, Janet. (see Polly's Story)
Elvin worked at many jobs through his life. He was a barber, a farmer, welder, oil field
worker, built 2 wheel trailers and gates for ranchers, worked on a dairy, and finally bought
a bakery with Polly in Ozona, Tx.
Elvin was very talented and creative. If he needed a tool of any kind, he usually made it
from scrap iron.
i.e.: After having trouble with sparrows eating up the chicken’s feed, he invented an automatic
chicken feeder. The chickens would step on a platform and their weight would cause the lid on
the trough to open. He wanted to patent this invention, but never had the money to file for it.
Elvin and Polly’s children all worked in the bakery which they bought in the early 1970’s.
When the children married and left home, the bakery was too much for them to handle alone. Their
sons helped enclose the carport at the family home in Ozona.
Elvin and Polly then operated a small cake and cookie shop from that location. After Elvin
died in 1980, Polly continued to decorate cakes and cookies until approximately 1989.
Elvin had many health problems: angina, diabetes, emphazema .
Polly remarried on March 9, 1983 to Hudson “Bud” Mayes.
Polly died December 22, 1999 in Ozona, Texas.
Elvin and Polly had five children:
1. James Marion (m)
2. Floyd McFarron (m)
3. Jerold Kendrick (m)
4. Janet Kristin (f)
5. Jonathan Elvin (m)
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Mamie Lou (Polly) Baker Eppler Mayes Our mom was born May 11, 1917 near Ft. McKavett, Texas. She had six brothers, five children, ten grandchildren and 6 great-grand children. Our mom loved to study and loved to learn. She once said that she never missed a day of school, nor was she “tardy” for the whole eight years she went to school in Menard. She graduated as Valedictorian of her class. She wanted to go to college, but there just was never enough money for her to go. But that never stopped her from finding ways to learn about the things she wanted to know. She said, “Just because you don’t know how to do something today, doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to do it tomorrow.” Our mom wanted to be a journalist. I think she had several articles published in the Monahans newspaper, and I think I remember an article in a Christian magazine. I was very young then, and mom never kept copies of things like that. Our mom was a very humble person. She just didn’t brag much about her own accomplishments. Our mom was always going to write a book. She would say that when she retired, she was going to write a novel. When she finally retired, she said she was too old to write that novel. She once said that if there is anything you really want to do, don’t wait to do it, because if you wait, then you won’t. Our mom had 5 children. Her oldest son was Jim. She always said Jim was very dependable. She knew he would always do what he was told to do. One thing she was most proud of Jim was that he could take apart all sorts of machinery and put it back together again. She said the day Jim married Gail gave her “quite a jolt” as that was the first time she realize her little boy had grown up enough to get married. Mack was the second son. She said she always thought of him as her baby. One of the hardest days for her was the day he went to serve in the Navy. She called that day a real “heart jerker.” She was always proud of the accomplishments he did, and how hard he worked to make something of himself. Ken was her surprise baby. She always thought of Ken as her model child. He was the best behaved of the five. The proudest day for her was the day Ken was ordained as a preacher. Jan was her only daughter. She said Jan went screaming through her childhood. Jan also attended all mom’s club functions and school activities from the time she was born. Mom said Jan couldn’t help but grow up to be a volunteer for everything. The most proud mom was of her was the day Jan “finally” became a mom herself. Jon was the most creative and imaginative of her children. She called him the entrepreneur of the bunch. Her proudest memory of him was the day he started his own business. When we lived in Wickett, our mom was very active in various clubs and community activities. She chaired the committee to fund and build the community center there. She also served as the City Secretary for a short while. For at least 6 years, she was the president of the PTA at Gensler Elementary. She was a very active WMU member and leader. One year mom was named “Home maker of the Year.” That was one of her proudest moments. Mom led several groups of GA’s, and taught cooking and sewing classes to the 4H club members. A life long gardener, mom won many Ward County Fair awards for her gardening, cooking, and canning skills. One year she canned 1000 containers, was recognized for her accomplishment by O.C. Fisher “for her family’s farming activities under the leadership of FHA”, and had a notation made about this in the Congressional Record. Mom felt it was important to help people. One time a family was hit by a car while they were crossing a highway near Wickett. Our mom let these people live in our rent house until they recovered. They couldn’t speak English and our mom was upset that she had trouble communicating with them. Soon after this happened, our mom began going to a class to learn how to speak Spanish. Our mom spent years trying to learn the language, and although she never accomplished speaking Spanish fluently, she always tried. When we moved to Colorado, mom had to go to work outside of the home to help support the family. Mom was never afraid of hard work. She once told one of her grandchildren to always “work hard to reach all your goals. Be honest and kind. If your goals are too far away to reach, try for decent, honorable work - which may take you on up.” Mom was like that. She didn’t give up. When we moved to Ozona, mom had to work 2 jobs for a while to help the family stay together. She would sit with an elderly couple at night, and work at Village Drug Store as a soda jerk during the day. When our parents bought the bakery, she worked long, hard hours to make the business a success. She never quit. Most people would have taken the easy way out and walked away. Not our mom. Walking away was never an option for her. Even after our dad suffered a stroke and she had to run the business and take care of him. She carried a lot on her shoulders. Eventually mom went to work at the hospital as a nurses aid, moved up to ward clerk, then to the kitchen in the Care Center as cook, and finally as the Food Service Supervisor. The people who worked with her know what a hard worker she was. They also know how much she cared about people. It didn’t matter how rich or poor, what church, if any, they went to, or what nationality they were. Mom cared about them all. Even after she retired from the Care Center, she didn’t quit. She just could not help herself. She started decorating cakes for people out of her home. I remember her saying she was doing cakes for 3rd and 4th generations of customers. That’s an awesome thought. After our dad died, she traveled the First Baptist church on a mission trip to Brazil. That was one of her best memories. She always wanted to travel the world, and felt like she had by the time she came home. This trip was a dream come true for her. Mom was an active member of the Eastern Star. She became their Worthy Matron several times. She married Hudson (Bud) Mayes in 1983. Bud was much older than she was. We worried about her having to work so hard at taking care of him. Bud made mom happy. He filled the loneliness she felt after dad died. I am grateful to him for being so good to her, and bringing her such joy. Mom loved going to church and dragged us all there every Sunday. Even though we have all strayed from the church at one time or another in our lives, mom made sure we never forgot that God loved us and was there for us when we were ready to come back to Him. She prayed for us all as we were growing up, and for our families as we married and each had children. Once she said, “God will never force Himself on you. He also will never turn His back on you. You have the choice of whether to live with Him or without Him.” Our mom accomplished a lot in her life. I know there are many things that she did that I never knew about. Mom was a humble person. She didn’t talk much about her many accomplishments. I’m not sure she ever realized how special a person she was. I don’t think she knew how many lives she influenced through the years. Nor did she realize how many people loved and cared about her. She did all she did because volunteering and helping people was part of her character. It came as naturally to her as breathing. Helping people was not an option, it was just part of life. Our mom is now in the best place possible. One thing I know she isn’t doing, and that is resting. I suspect she is organizing a planning committee of some sort for God. This after arguing with Him over the huge mansion He tried to give her. She wouldn’t think she deserved one so large. Personally, I hope God sat her down in front of a typewriter and told her to not get up until she finished that book she was always going to write! We loved our mom. We all disappointed her on plenty of occasions, but she never stopped loving any of us. She never quit. One story my mom shared with me from the Bible is found in Mark 14. About the time of the Last Supper, Lazarus’ sister, Mary, came in and to worship Him, she poured a bottle of expensive perfume on Jesus’ head. When some of the people present chastised her for wasting such expensive perfume, Jesus told them: “Leave her alone .... She has done a beautiful thing to me. .... She did what she could. ....what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Mom said she would like to be remembered that way ... for doing what she could to please Christ.
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Henry Walter Eppler was the 8th child of Henry T. Eppler and Elizabeth C. Martin (maiden name). He came to Mason County at about the age of six years. He married Mary Ella Morris, who was the daughter of William L. Morris and Alta Harl (maiden name). This marriage took place at Odem’s Ranch Stage Stop, Mason County, about eight miles north of Streeter, Mason County, Texas. All their marriage, Henry and Mary Ella were farmers.
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This John Eppler, frequently confused with an earlier man of the same name, was quite likely a son of George Daniel Eppler who came to America in 1747. This John Eppler served in the American army in the Revolution, although quite young, probably being the John Eppler who was in Capt. Graydon’s Company, 3rd Regiment, from Pennsylvania, whose record has been discovered by Mr. J.J. McKinny, of DeWitt, Mo., a great-great-grandson of John & Margaret. Prior to 1783 John and Margaret moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, and their son Jonathan was born there in that year. Census and deed records sometimes have their name spelled Appler, which has caused some confusion. On one deed, John signed as “John Eppler”, while Margaret, his wife, signed as “Margaret Appler”. The Census of 1790 shows them living in Rockingham County. They sold their land there in 1794 (deed records) and had moved to Abingdon, Washington Co., Va., by 1799, when they bought property there, according to deed records. They sold this property in 1804; at the same time their son Jonathan sold some property in Abingdon (deed records); and they all moved to Tennessee. John and Margaret were in Giles Co., Tenn., at the time of 1820 Census, and had moved on to what is now Carroll County, Missouri, at the 1830 Census. (Jonathan’s marriage and his later moves are recorded in a separate Chart.) The dates of John’s and Margaret’s deaths have been lost; and we do not know whether they died in Missouri or had followed their son and grandchildren to Arkansas and died there.
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Family legends say that Margaret Muller Eppler was affectionately known as
“Mother Margaret” by all who knew her. One source says that her name was Margaret Miller,
which is due, probably, to pronuciation of the German “umlaut” U, which would make
Muller sound somewhat like Miller.
EARLY COLLATERAL FAMILIES
One of the earliest families related to the Eppler Family by marriage is the
Muller Family, of Saxony.
RUDOLPH MULLER is the earliest mentioned member of this family. He did not
emigrate to America and we have no records of his life and family except for one SON:
JOHN MULLER
b. 1715 in Saxony. Arr. Philladelphia on ship BIXLEY, in 1752.
d. 1760 in Pa.
m. Barbara (last name unknown)
d. 1783, probably in Pa.
i.2 sons, 5 daughters all born in Saxony:
JOHN MULLER
b. 1734 d. prior to 1785 (see Note 1)
m. Julianna (no other information)
Orelia Muller
Anna Muller
RUDOLPH MULLER
b. 1740 (see Note 1)
m-1 Catherine
m-2 Susanna (no other information)
Elizabeth Muller
Barbara Muller
Mary Muller
Note 1: MARGARET MULLER (#2 John Eppler’s wife) was probably daughter of either
John or Rudolph Muller. She was born later than 1769, probably in Pennsylvania, and
married John Eppler, b. 1760-61, who later moved to Va., Tenn., and Mo.
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Jonathan was the son of John Eppler and Mary Margaret Muller (maiden name).
Jonathan was a wealthy slave owner. He may have been married three times.
He was a Justice of the Peace of Chariton Co., Missouri.
After his birth in Rockingham Co., Va ., and reaching manhood in Abingdon,
Washington Co., Va., Jonathan Eppler lived for several years in Sevier County, Tenn.,
where he married Elsie, and where several of their 10 children were born.
Probably about 1815 or early 1816 they moved to Lauderdale County, Alabama.
Daughter Ann was born here in 1816; George was born in 1821; and Jonathan (Jr) was
born in 1823 or 24. Their next child, Salome, was born in 1826, in Carroll Co., Missouri,
so the move to that area must have been in 1824 or 25. Their last child, Miles was also
born in Carroll county in 1830.
Several of their grandchildren were born in Carroll Co., the older children of both Isaac
and John, before the general family move to Arkansas. The time of the move to Ark., not
firmly recorded, is fairly well pin pointed by the fact that John’s son Wiley Clark Eppler
was born in Missouri, and his next son Malcom Marcus was born in Ark. Thus the move
must have been accomplished between 1835 and 1837 - giving 1836 as a probable date for
the move.
There was a bitter quarrel between Jonathan, a wealthy slave-owner, and his third son,
Rev. Henry Eppler, who had become an ardent abolitionist. So, when Jonathan and all others
of his sons and daughters made the move to Ark., Henry remained in Missouri, where he
married in 1837.
We have no record of whether John & Margaret, parents of Jonathan Eppler also moved to
Ark., or if they remained in Missouri until their death.
Elsie Thomas Eppler’s death has been recorded as Oct. 10, 1836. Her grave has not been
found, and no record establishes the place of her death. It seems doubtful that she died in
Missouri as her grave would probably have been located in the old Pleasant Park cemetery,
where a number of the family are buried.
Jonathan, and the nine sons and daughters who made the move to Ark., scattered out
over - at least - Crawford, Franklin, Sebastian, and Scott Counties. Several lived in more
than one of these counties at different times.
John L. Eppler, of Corpus Christi, has given me(?) a fac-simile copy of a letter written by
Jonathan on February 11, 1846, a few weeks before his death, to his brother-in-law George
McKinney. The main intent of the letter was to instruct McKinney to sell some land Jonathan
still owned in Carroll Co., Mo., but he also mentions marriages of his sons “Marquis” (Marcus?)
and George, and of his daughter Salome. He, Jonathan, had been in poor health, and under the
care of the “surgeon” of Fort Smith, since the previous summer. He also mentions his wife
(Easter Hines) participating in some “revivals” that she is a Baptist, but that she “communes”
with other Evangelical denominations.
The letter was written from Van Buren, Crawford Co., Ark. Presumable his death also
occurred in Van Buren, April 1, 1846. His grave has not been located, but it may well have
been in the old Gilliam Cemetery, 25 miles from Ft. Smith, where many early settlers of Ark.
are buried.
The letter also mentions Jonathan (Jr), still living, who would then have been 22 or 23
years old.
It is interesting to note that, in spite of the estrangement over slavery, Rev. Henry Eppler
named his second son, Jonathan, after his father. This was in 1840, several years before old
Jonathan’s death.
Later:
In 1971, Joe McKinney found deed records in Carrollton Court house showing that
Jonathan Eppler, a resident of Ray (Carroll) Co., Missouri, bought a tract of land from
William Latham and his wife Mary Latham, who were residents of Chariton Co, Mo. This
Transaction occurred in March 5, 1825, showing that Jonathan had reached Missouri some
time before that time.
The signatures to this deed were witnessed by Jonathan Eppler, Justice of the Peace.
Must have been highly irregular, even in those informal days, for a man to witness his own
signature, or that of others in his favor.
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Information copied from: Aus: Dictionnaire de biographie francaise 12(1970) Translated by Yvetter Tichon Eppler EPPLER, GEORGE HENRY, GENERAL. Born in Strasbourg July 15, 1760; Son of Martin Eppler and Marguerite Elissing, enter in the army at the age of 14 in the Swiss regiment of Salis-Grisons. Received his discharge March 30, 1786, he re-inlist, six months later, in the regiment of Salis-Samade, a Swiss regiment also where he became Sargent Major. Licenced September 25, 1792 with the Swiss regiments, he re-inlist for the second time a few days later in a company of Franche of the Dordogne and serve in the Rhine Army, where in October 1, 1793 he became Captain. Chief of Battalion June 25, 1794 of the fourteen Light half Brigade, he distinguish himself number of time during the Campaign of 1796, in Neustadt, in Platzberg, at the passage of Lech, then he was transfered in the army of Italy, in the army of Rome he distinguish himself again. In 1798, he was part of the expedition in Egypt, he was at the taking of Malta, of Alexandria and of Cairo. Chief of the 21 Light Brigade, he pushed back the enemy at Fayown served at Samanhout, at Cophtos and at Benouth. He also fought again in Heliopolis and was wounded at Canope March 21, 1801. Menou having promised him that he would become General of the Brigade, he contributed to the defense of Alexandria. Brought back in France after the evacuation of Egypt, he received different commands in the interior of France, was named officer of commanded the Front Guard of the third Corp and fought in Austerlitz; Worn out he had to renounce to active command and he retired at Altkirch (High Rhin dep.) where he died April 2, 1806. This is the same General Eppler who has a plate in a Temple on the Nile river in Egypt. John L. Eppler and wife, Blanche Eppler, copied the following information concerning the Eppler family from the Knudson history, published in 1913: HISTORY AND GENEALOGY OF THE EPPLER FAMILIES (1728 - 1913) Compiled by Mrs. Emma Epler Knudson RECORD ON TEMPLE ON NILE The folowing is engraved on a bronze door of the Temple of Philacon on the River Nile, by order of a scientific Commission sent by France to that country: "In the sixth year of the Republic, the 12 of June, a French army commanded by Bonaparte descended to Alexandria twenty days after, pursued the Mamelukes to the Pyramids. Dessix commanded the first division; he followed them to the Cataracts where he arrived in February of the seventh year of the Republic. The La Tounerie commanding the artillery. Eppler commanding the infantry. The 3 of March in the year of our Lord, 1799."
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